I've been
backpacking regularly in the Rockies since 1986. I do at least one
weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips. I'm usually
camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 10000 ft (1500-3000 m).
I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from
camp. Recently I've been actively reducing my pack weight, but still
sleep in a floored tent and often include my favorite camp
conveniences. Summer camping is often planned around flyfishing
opportunities.

THE PRODUCT

The Ultralight Java Drip is a
reusable coffee filter designed for backpacking. It consists of a
small (GSI’s word is “diminutive”) mesh cone sewn over a wire ring at
the top that is connected to three plastic legs that clip onto a
mug. Fill the bag with coffee, pour hot water over, and
fresh-brewed coffee drips through into the mug.

I’m a morning coffee addict
everywhere and any time of year, but hot coffee on a morning in the
mountains is one of life’s great pleasures. Instant coffee (a
contradiction in terms, in my opinion) won’t do, it’s got to be the
real thing. Until finding the Java Drip that meant one of four
different coffee-making methods: a percolator, cowboy coffee, a
separate French press, or the French press attachment to my Jetboil
Flash (see separate Test Report on this canister-based integrated
cooking system). The main drawback of the first three of these
alternatives is the need to pack a separate pot for the coffee.
That’s a particular nuisance since several of my hiking comrades don’t
drink caffeinated beverages. The last choice works well but
raises two different problems. If I’m to have my coffee while
making breakfast, which my caffeine addiction demands, I have to clean
the messy grounds out the Flash’s cooking cup before refilling with
water for oatmeal. This problem is compounded if I’m hiking with a
buddy, given the Flash’s limited capacity.

Enter the Java Drip.
Boil water with whatever stove I have with me, rig the Java Drip as
described above, and a few minutes later I have my cuppa Joe to get my
heart started.

FIELD CONDITIONS

The Java Drip has been in my
pack in all seasons and all weathers; I truly am an addict. I
take it on all solo hikes, and all hikes when I’m the only coffee
drinker. Winter use has been almost entirely inside a hut or
yurt, as those were my shelters last winter, but last autumn I used it
outdoors on a frosty morning in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, at
20 F (-7 C). Highest temperature for morning coffee was
about 85 F (29 C) in the Texas Hill Country. Weather has ranged
from driving rain to a windless sunny morning.

I’ve used four or five
different mugs or cups for my own coffee and attached the Java Drip to
at least that many drinking vessels for my companions’ coffee.
The Java Drip’s legs are flexible and it’s easy to adjust them to
drinking vessels of varying sizes, and the teeth are flexible enough to
fit over even the widest cup lip. My only regular protocol is to
place the mug of choice on flat ground in a place in camp where no one
is likely to knock it over.

OBSERVATIONS

Ease of use.
Can’t get much easier than this. One great feature of the Java Drip is
that the structure is flexible and the teeth grip well on thin or thick
cup lips. If I keep out of the way, other than to pour hot water,
the set-up is remarkably sturdy and wind-resistant. Though the
Java Drip is flimsy, its teeth grip firmly, so the cup adds stability
and structure.

I’ve encountered only two
problems in making coffee. The first is obvious, that I’ve got to
monitor the water level and be careful not to overfill the filter, or
I’ll have a real mess on my hands (and on the coffee cup and the nearby
ground). Also I try not to move the cup after pouring in the
first hot water. Particularly with a tall cup the Java Drip can
wobble (and on one occasion tipped over) when I lifted the mug by its
handle. After the mug is full of coffee I remove with Java Drip
with some care, to avoid spilling the damp grounds.

The Java Drip does call for
more attention than a French press. With a press I can pour in
the hot water all at once, walk away, and have hot coffee in five
minutes’ time; because the container is enclosed and plastic a
relatively good insulator its contents stay hot while the coffee is
steeping. When using the Java Drip I must monitor the water level
and add more hot water as the coffee drips through, more or less
keeping the mesh bag full of water until the mug fills up. The
first slug of water drips through fairly quickly, but as the grounds
absorb water the viscosity increases and the hot water is exposed to
the air, as is the coffee in the mug. I try to accelerate the
process as much as possible to keep my coffee hot.

Capacity.
This turns on the octane level desired by the particular coffee
drinker. I normally re-use the first coffee grounds for a second
cup, and still get a strong brew, but after that to my taste it’s
coffee-flavored hot water.

This is a one-cup-at-a-time
product, which can delay the morning fix for someone else in my
group. The ready answer if my tentmate is also an addict is a
second Java Drip.

Cleaning.
I’m still a Leave No Trace guy who packs out what he packs in.
Even though coffee grounds are biodegradable and some lightweight
advocates favor burial, after breakfast my used grounds are dumped into
a trash bag of some sort – standard garbage bag or zip-lock type
plastic bag. After that the Java Drip is rinsed with the boiling
water I’ve prepared for dishwashing. Whichever method I use for
coffee, the wet grounds are a nuisance, and I can’t seem to avoid
spilling a few on the ground or on my hands, and a few more seem to
stick to the mesh of the Java Drip. This of course is not the
fault of the Java Drip but a consequence of its owner’s demands for
real coffee.

Packing and storage.
Here’s the reason I really like the Java Drip. I don’t mind the
small extra weight of a French press, but fitting it into my pack is
another story. It’s rigid, bulky, relatively large, and, even
though made of plastic, subject to damage from sharp objects if stuffed
into my pack or from banging around if attached to a strap or loop on
the outside of the pack. The Java Drip, in contrast, folds flat
and fits neatly inside a small plastic bag that can be sealed at the
top. This I can store just about anywhere in my pack, often
inside my cooking system or a pot or pan. Compare them in the
photo – enough said.Durability.
With the care I’ve described above the Java Drip will last quite a
while. I have not had one deform or break after many mornings’
use and storage any which way in my pack. The plastic legs are not
rigid and have not fractured, I haven’t lost a tooth, and the mesh in
the bag hasn’t deteriorated. I did pitch one when on very
subjective criteria I judged it too ratty for further use. That
two of these have lasted for more than two years and probably sixty or
more days (more, counting post-day hike use) is good enough for me.

Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.